Peyton Skipwith Vocational Training Program

Mission Statement:

The Peyton Skipwith Vocational Training program aims to provide explicit job training to high school and college age students in various occupations of their choosing. Upon completion of the program students have the opportunity to be employed at the University of Virginia while earning a living wage. The Peyton Skipwith Vocational Training program helps individuals in the Charlottesville area gain important job skills that will allow the to find work and create a foundation for a successful career. We hope that helping high school and college age students find work will increase their financial well being for years to come.

Admission to the University of Virginia is high competitive and the admissions process is very selective. It is unreasonable to assume that everyone in the community will be accepted to the university and be able to receive aid from the Gibbons scholarship fund. The Peyton Skipwith Vocational Training program hopes to fill the void and provide skills to individuals who face economic inequality as a result of the legacies of slavery.

About Peyton Skipwith:

Peyton Skipwith was a slave who was owned an worked for John Hatwell Cocke, one of the first members of UVA’s Board of Visitors. Peyton Skipwith quarried stone used to build the University. He was later freed in 1833 and traveled to Liberia to start a new life with his family.

-There will be 3 sessions of training programs held each year, each ranging from 3-4 months depending on the area of concentration.

-There will be an application process that focuses more on why applicants want to be a part of the program, their goals, and career milestones they hope to achieve.

-Each topic and each session will spend 1 week towards the end of the course focusing on financial planning in order to educate students how to save, invest, and spend money they make after employment.

-The program will be free to those who are accepted to the vocational training. Funding for the program will come from the University of Virginia Investment Fund

Session 1 (long 4 month for more complex topics)

(January-April)

Topics for study:
1. Business and Information Technology

2. Mechanics (specializing in auto)

3. Health Services

Session 2 (3 month session)

(May-July)

Topics For Study:

1. Culinary Skills/Food Services

2. Landscaping and Construction (available Session 2 and Session 3)

Session 3 (3 Month Session)

(August-November)

Topics for Study:

1. Project management and Budgeting

2. Landscaping and Construction (available Session 2 and Session 3)

All applicants who finish the program will have an opportunity to become employed at the University of Virginia and earn a living wage. Students will try to be placed in jobs that are most similar to their concentrations. Students do not have to take a job at The University after completion.